Tanzania's Women Entrepreneurs leading the way in Climate Resilience

Earlier this year I had the pleasure of speaking with Joshua Elias, Managing Director, and Kelvin Majula, Business Development Advisor, of Anza. Anza is a Tanzanian organization that supports entrepreneurs to grow their businesses and create sustainable jobs. We first partnered with Anza back in 2018.

As an organization working with agriculture businesses, Anza has h`ad to be nimble to support Tanzanian farmers as they navigate the challenges of climate change. Joshua and Kelvin explained that farmers were seeing increasing unpredictability in weather patterns that disrupted traditional growing seasons, impacting crop yields and farmer livelihoods. This led Anza to launch Feminist Entrepreneurs Growing Green Economies (FEGGE) in partnership with MEDA in 2023.

The program works with agricultural enterprises, specifically those led by women, in Tanzania’s dryland regions to respond to the climate crisis. Alongside capacity building in core business areas, the program supports entrepreneurs to reduce their negative environmental footprint and explores how to adapt their businesses in face of climate change. Through this initiative, Anza has supported 25 female entrepreneurs who engaged 1807 smallholder farmers, amplifying the program's impact.  

Joshua and Kelvin told me about Restituta Mrosso, the founder of Rest Food Products, a company specializing in the production and processing of food products such as peanut butter, spices, and honey, based in Arusha, Tanzania. Rest Foods participated in FEGGE and achieved a huge 30% increase in production. This expansion has benefited 90 farmers in their supply chain, leading to heightened demand for their produce, and thereby improving incomes and livelihoods. Rest Food Products has successfully broadened its market presence and is now supplying retailers and consumers across six regions in Tanzania.  

I learned that in its first year, the program successfully generated an impressive average of 10 new jobs and facilitated an average revenue growth of 24% for participating businesses. The program is now continuing into its second year.  

I asked Joshua why Anza has prioritized climate resilience in its programming. He told me,  

"Supporting businesses to adapt to climate change is not just about securing their future, but also safeguarding the resilience and sustainability of entire communities. By integrating climate-smart practices into their operations, these businesses become catalysts for positive change, fostering economic growth while nurturing environmental stewardship for generations to come." 

With thanks to Joshua Elias and Kelvin Majula for their collaboration on this post.